Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and George Town

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $4,862 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $35,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
237

Cost of Living Index in George Town
Learn more

George Town Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in George Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Jose and in George Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $4,862 in George Town.

San Jose $1,949
George Town $4,862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $7,338 in George Town.

San Jose $2,903
George Town $7,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $9,814 in George Town.

San Jose $3,857
George Town $9,814

Living in San Jose costs roughly 60% less than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 45% above, George Town 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$30.59 KYD 25.09

-60.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$116 KYD 94.7

-47.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$16.82 KYD 13.79

-30.02%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$7.14 KYD 5.86

-39.78%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₡1,226

$3.06 KYD 2.51

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$2.84 KYD 2.33

-35.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$7.11 KYD 5.83

-53.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$9.74 KYD 7.99

-55.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$4.70 KYD 3.85

-49.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$4.13 KYD 3.38

-24.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$4.41 KYD 3.62

-45.35%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$7.21 KYD 5.91

-51.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$56.9 KYD 46.64

-81.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$19.04 KYD 15.62

-44.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$19.67 KYD 16.13

-30.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$7.55 KYD 6.19

-33.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$3.63 KYD 2.98

-55.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$6.19 KYD 5.07

-25.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$7.91 KYD 6.49

-51.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$4.12 KYD 3.38

-8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$4.07 KYD 3.34

-7.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$3.19 KYD 2.62

-64.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$2.26 KYD 1.86

41.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$14.16 KYD 11.61

-58.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$25.66 KYD 21.04

-23.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$4.29 KYD 3.52

-35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$5.45 KYD 4.47

-32.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.38 KYD 1.95

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$79.8 KYD 65.5

-18.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$19.15 KYD 15.70

-87.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$3.74 KYD 3.07

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$44.62 KYD 36.59

-81.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.58 KYD 1.30

-1.90%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$42.1K KYD 34.6K

-48.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$42.0K KYD 34.4K

-16.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$450 KYD 369

-78.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$120 KYD 98.2

-70.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$113 KYD 92.6

-48.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$217 KYD 178

-66.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$34.74 KYD 28.48

-27.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$18.64 KYD 15.28

-57.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$971 ₡437.9K

$1,818 KYD 1,490

-46.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$26.5K KYD 21.7K

-35.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$87.0 KYD 71.3

-17.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$74.1 KYD 60.8

-25.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$137 KYD 113

-6.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$146 KYD 119

-8.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$2,861 KYD 2,346

-67.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$2,479 KYD 2,033

-68.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$5,698 KYD 4,672

-65.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$4,775 KYD 3,915

-72.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$8,919 KYD 7,314

-74.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$2,270 KYD 1,861

-20.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$7,223 KYD 5,923

-86.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.75%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for George Town: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

George Town

$2.5K 50.3% 222% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

George Town

$727 14.8% 82.3% $329

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

George Town

$460 9.3% 102% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

George Town

$682 13.8% 262% $494

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

George Town

$200 4.1% 14.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

George Town

$254 5.2% 189% $166

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

George Town

$127 2.6% 59.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in San Jose and $2,861 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 618% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in San Jose vs $116 in George Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $727 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇰🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

28,089 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KYD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 KYD (1 KYD = 1.09 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose George Town 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
George Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Jose vs George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and George Town differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($1,949 vs $4,862 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 618% lower in George Town. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $934 in San Jose versus $2,861 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,949 per month in San Jose versus $4,862 in George Town – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 23% less than in George Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $4,862 in George Town, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in George Town. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, San Jose and George Town are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in George Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.